There comes a MO’ment in every journey when preparation ends, and courage begins. We can build our strength. We can develop our skills. We can surround ourselves with incredible people who believe in us. But eventually, life asks us to step into the unknown.
That is where growth happens.
Over the past few months, I’ve shared my 2026 theme of Arrival, not as a destination but as an ongoing journey of becoming. In May, we explored arriving through health, wealth, and owning our future. In June, after completing HYROX Ottawa the previous month, I reflected that no meaningful finish line is ever reached alone. Every achievement is built through consistency, support, belief, and resilience.
This month, I find myself thinking about something even deeper: courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to move forward despite it. That is exactly why I am so excited to share this month’s episode of A MO’ment with MO, featuring my longtime friend, Surria Fadel.
I’ve known Surria since our days together at GoodLife, where she inspired people as a fitness instructor, personal trainer, coach, and pain management therapist. Even then, she possessed an extraordinary gift for helping others believe in themselves. Watching her evolve into an award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder of Cedar Valley has been nothing short of inspiring (not to mention her product is both tasty and nutritious). Her story reminds us that our past experiences are never left behind; they become the
foundation for our next chapter.
One of my favourite conversations in the podcast centers around reinvention. Many people believe there is a timeline for pursuing dreams. Surria proves otherwise. She chose to begin again. She built a business with her teenage son, embraced uncertainty, persevered through countless challenges, and ultimately created a company recognized across Canada. Yet what impressed me most wasn’t her success—it was the heart, humility, and resilience with which she achieved it. And now, she is preparing for another incredible adventure.
Beginning July 7, Canadians will have the opportunity to watch Surria and her son compete together on the newest season of The Amazing Race Canada. What excites me isn’t simply seeing a familiar face on television. It’s watching courage unfold in real time. Every episode promises uncertainty, problem-solving, teamwork, resilience, adaptability, leadership, and trust. These are the very same qualities we develop in fitness, business, and life. Success isn’t about always knowing the answer. It’s about staying calm under pressure, leaning into your strengths, trusting those beside you, and
continuing to move forward when the outcome is uncertain. This month, I find myself thinking about what it means to have courage and reminding myself that it’s not the absence of fear, but the willingness to move forward despite it.
As fitness professionals, coaches, and leaders, we ask others every day to step outside their comfort zones, and perhaps the greatest invitation is to be willing to do the same ourselves.
Where in your own life are you being called to leap? Maybe it is pursuing a new certification, launching a business, applying for a leadership opportunity, beginning a health journey, having a difficult conversation, or simply believing that your next chapter can be even more meaningful than your last. Courage is not reserved for extraordinary people; it is built through ordinary moments when we choose action over hesitation.
That is one of the greatest lessons Surria leaves us with. Reinvention isn’t about becoming someone different. It’s about becoming more of who you’ve always been.
As I continue to navigate my own journey, I find comfort in remembering that every meaningful chapter begins with a single courageous step. None of us knows exactly what lies ahead, but we do know that growth lives beyond comfort, leadership requires vulnerability, and strength is developed through challenge.
Arrival is never final. It simply prepares us for the next adventure, the next lesson, and the next opportunity to become more of who we are meant to be. So, this month, I invite you to pause and ask yourself: Where is courage calling me? What dream have I been postponing? What might become possible if I trusted myself just a little more?
Then take the first step. You do not have to have the entire journey figured out before you begin. You simply have to be willing to move forward, one courageous choice at a time.
And while you’re at it, I hope you’ll tune into this month’s A MO’ment with MO and cheer on Surria and her son throughout their Amazing Race Canada journey. I have a feeling we’ll all be reminded that the finish line doesn’t measure the greatest victories, but by who we become along the way.
As always, I come back to the mantra that has been guiding me this year:
I get to do this.
I get to take the next step. I get to choose courage. I get to arrive, again and again, as the person I am becoming. And so do you.
